Flight to Arras

Een boek dat open bloeit als een krokus op een februariochtend. 70 jaar oud, maar het bulkt nog van relevantie.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - ja, die kent u van het bloedmooie "De kleine prins" - was naast journalist en auteur ook piloot en actief bij de Franse luchtmacht in de Tweede Wereldoorlog.

In Oorlogsvlieger is de rode draad een verkenningsvlucht boven vijandelijke stelling die moet uitgevoerd worden. De oorlog is op dat moment voor de Fransen al zo goed als een verloren zaak waardoor de vlucht niet alleen zo goed als zelfmoord lijkt, maar ook nog eens compleet zinloos is.
Wat van dit boek een pareltje maakt, is dat de auteur het verloop van de vlucht als kapstok gebruikt om de twijfels, visie en gedachtes van de soldaat/piloot/mens show more uit te werken en weer te geven.

Daar komt de kracht van zijn schrijverschap en nog meer van zijn denken naar voren. Tijdens de vlucht probeert de Saint-Exupéry zichzelf een plaats in het geheel te geven. Hij ontdekt dat de angst bij de verwachting hoort, want eens hij zijn opdracht aan het uitvoeren is, handelt hij efficiënt, doelgericht en is er voor de angst geen ruimte meer.
Als hij met zijn boordschutter en navigator dan toch levend lijkt terug te keren uit de beschietingen met luchtafweer en ontmoeting met vijandige jagers, vallen bij de piloot/auteur de schellen van de ogen. Op heldere en uitmuntende wijze geeft de Saint-Exupéry zijn plaats in het geheel mee en schrijft hij een filosofisch betoog over de rol en verantwoordelijkheid van het individu in het geheel (de samenleving) maar evenzeer over de verplichtingen van die samenleving ten opzichte van dat individu heeft en waarom dat dreigt mis te lopen. Het draait er om dat we ons gelijk moeten kunnen voelen in iets dat ons overstijgt. Het is zinloos dat ik dat probeer te verhelderen, maar wat dacht je van:

"De aanhangers van de nieuwe godsdienst zulle er niet mee akkoord gaan dat een aantal mijnwerkers voor de redding van één enkele bedolven mijnwerker het leven waagt. (...) Het welzijn van de Gemeenschap bekijken ze in getallen - en de getallen zullen hen beheersen. Op die manier zullen ze het vermogen verliezen zichzelf te overstijgen. En daardoor zullen ze verafschuwen wat van hen verschilt, omdat ze niets hebben, boven het ik uit, om mee samen te vallen. Iedere gewoonte, ieder ras, iedere denkwijze die hun vreemd is, zullen ze onvermijdelijk als krenkend zien."

of

"Ik geloof dat de cultus van het Universele de particuliere rijkdommen verheft en verbindt - en de enige mogelijke orde gestalte geeft, namelijk die van het leven. In een boom heerst orde, ondanks de wortels die verschillen van de takken."

en zo zou ik er nog ettelijke kunnen noteren. Goed gedaan, Antoine.

Confronterend ook dit boek te lezen met in het achterhoofd de wetenschap dat de Saint-Exupéry van een soortgelijke vlucht - boven Duitsland als voorbereiding op het eindoffensief van de geallieerden - op 31 juli 1944 nooit meer terugkeerde.

(hmm, zou ik toch 5 sterren geven?) show less

I decided to give this book a try after a friend whose opinion I greatly respect urged it on me as one of the best books he’d ever read. Sometimes it’s good to listen to your friends.
In this memoir, Saint-Exupéry compresses his experience as a reconnaissance pilot while France crumbles in the face of the relentless onslaught of the Wehrmacht into the account of one flight, a suicidal mission. In the course of it, he creates an extended meditation on the romance of flight, the futility of war, the inevitability of death and the meaning of life, written in a manner at once elegant and brutally honest. In the process, he deconstructs the twin, opposing ideologies of collectivism and individualism, feeling his way toward to a humanism show more founded on the Christian tradition of charity.
So many of the sentences are finely cast that I finally gave up copying the pearls in a notebook. Even without doing so, the images — a puppet cut loose yet someone continues pulling the strings, or the sexton who has lost the love of God but retained the love of lighting candles — remain in the mind, as does the author’s resolve to value the pile of stones while envisioning the cathedral to be created from them over the comfort of sitting in the finished building.
This is the book of an intellectual who values spirit over intellect. Highly recommended. show less

May 1940 - the allied armies are evacuated from Dunkirk.The German Army is pushing south over the Somme. Millions of refugees are fleeing south and clogging the roads. The French defence dissolves.
‘Saint-Ex’ is sent on a, by now, senseless reconnaissance mission above Arras. His unit had already lost 17 out of 23 planes. He has not more than 1 in 3 chance of returning.
Below him: the human masses being stuck on jammed streets, fires, wrecked wagons, the injured dying in mud and filth.
This time death does not take him, his navigator and gunner. Four years later, on July 31st 1944, he does not return from a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean.
Facing death he lives entirely in the present. He records his thoughts about life show more and death during the flight. He writes: only then, in these moments, one is entirely human. (IX-22) show less

"Flight to Arras" is a powerful memoir written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a renowned French aviator and author, best known for "The Little Prince". Published in 1942, the book recounts Saint-Exupéry's experiences as a pilot during the early days of World War II.

The memoir takes place during the Battle of France in 1940 when Saint-Exupéry served as a pilot in the French Air Force. It provides a deeply personal and introspective account of his time as a reconnaissance pilot, flying dangerous missions over enemy territory.

"Flight to Arras" delves into the emotional and psychological turmoil experienced by Saint-Exupéry and his fellow aviators. It explores the fear, uncertainty, and camaraderie that existed among the pilots, show more highlighting their courage and dedication in the face of adversity.

The book is not merely a chronicle of military operations but also a philosophical reflection on the nature of war and the human condition. Saint-Exupéry contemplates the purpose and meaning of life in the midst of destruction, questioning the value of sacrifice and the ultimate futility of war.

Through vivid and poetic prose, Saint-Exupéry captures the beauty and tragedy of flight, describing the exhilaration of soaring through the skies juxtaposed with the grim reality of war-torn landscapes below. His writing blends technical details of aviation with philosophical musings, creating a unique narrative that engages both the intellect and the emotions of the reader.

"Flight to Arras" is a poignant exploration of the human spirit, resilience, and the search for meaning in the face of impending danger. It offers insights into the experiences and emotions of those involved in aerial warfare, shedding light on the complexities of the human condition during times of conflict.

Saint-Exupéry's introspective and lyrical writing style, combined with his firsthand experiences as a pilot, imbues the book with a sense of authenticity and depth. "Flight to Arras" stands as a testament to the author's literary talent and his profound understanding of the human soul.

Overall, "Flight to Arras" is a thought-provoking memoir that transcends its wartime context. It delves into universal themes of courage, mortality, and the search for purpose, resonating with readers long after the final page is turned. show less

"Everything was cracking up all round us. Everything was caving in. The collapse was so entire that death itself seemed to us absurd. Death, in such a tumult, had ceased to count. But we ourselves did not count."
This was an absolutely beautiful book that takes a look at both Man and our nature. Although defeated, the seed for a future France was planted in the dark days of May/June 1940.

As the last days before the fall of France in 1940 approach, Saint Exupery & his fellow flyers face almost certain death with every flight. This volume is his description of the recon flight he ton to Arras and what went through his mind as he flew. He describes the plight of the refugees fleeing the Gernans with no idea where they will end up and how they will feed themselves. The plight of children is most moving.

He analyzes his feelings about dying especially for a cause that seems hopeless. He also thinks back to his youth and how it influenced him to be the man he is at the moment. This is a classic in the annals of aviation literature.

A French pilot talking about his scouting flight flown while the German's were pouring into his country like a flood. The French high command was in disarray and he felt his scouting flight was probably useless and likely to get him killed. But he went anyway. Along the way on this one flight he talks about philosophy, life, the situation in France, and with the French Air Force.

A sample: "There is a cheap literature that speak to us of the need of escape. It is true that when we travel we are in search of distance. But distance is not to be found. It melts away. And escape has never led anywhere. The moment a man finds that he must play the races, go the Arctic, or make war in order to feel himself alive, that man has begun to spin show more the strands that bind him to other men and to the world. But what wretched strands! A civilization that is really strong fills man to the brim, though he never stir. What are we worth when motionless, is the question." ~ WWII French pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery show less